application for and admitted police policy to refuse access to a solicitor during BILLY The importance of the PTA lies in the application of Frank Kitson's theories to a British may have offices who would gladpolice are few repealed. On the contrary, the trend is towards extending its 'draconian' power Rose-Smith is joint forthcoming in your hand odd wains?" ¡nAuc Union Dav Conterence on Chli The NUH UnIV MOUSE legates invited from all trade unior Chile vonodrt Seven Sistare Ri Pauls, Careers MORALE March, Edinburgh 30 March. Film oni UTOM emonstratio risoners Queens Pai Gates, Victoria. Rd, to march to city ACCOUE REVOLUTIONARY Communist Group One capitalst crisis the workineciass of Ireland.
Tues 13 March Cheshire killed CONNOLLY introhis song Sergeant Where's Mine this way:
'I wrote it a wee while ago after seing a documentary on television. It was about Ulster children in Ulster, being in a terrible state with the war being on, and the soldiers in Ulster, being in a terrible state trying to cope with the don'tknow what it's all about.
ane song usen enos will retorical question: 'But I can put up with most things I've done in my time. I can even put up with the pain, But what dae ye dea with a gun When you're facing a hundre Kalings in te est Howard Mapos ina Belfast barracks week confirms Billy Connolly's view of the Irish war rather than that in the swashbuckling advertisemenis put out by the Armi Information Office.
Maggs, the official version goes, was shot dead by his own "comrades" after he had opened fire on two NCOs, killing one.
Whatever the truth of thai Maggs' death does throw a chink of light on the state of morale of Britain's occupying forees in the North He was not the first to go berserk, but was unfortunate in that he went berserk against other soldiers. Had he merely killed a couple of civilians he would probably be alive today.
example, in 1977 Regiment ( member David Scott opened up with an SLR rifle in the Catholic Strand Road district of Belfast. He passer-by and injured two others. Trooper Edward Maggs At his trial it was reported that Scott turned to a fellow soldier after his shoot-up and exclaimed: Tam cracking, I am cracking.' The judge presiding over Scott's case took a sympathetic view and sentenced him to all of five years in prison.
Other soldiers have seen prison as a way of escaping a posting to the North of Ireland.
December Lance. corporal VICA8P Parkinson left a Doncaster magistrates court smiling despite being given eight months for a string of offences including drunken driving, other car offences and obtaining money by deception.
Parkinson's lawyer told the court that his client committed his crimes in the hope that he would LOUTE out and consequently discharged from the Army.
DESERTING Parkinson, the lawyer ex plained, couldn't face anther tour of duty in the North of The effects of serving in the streets of Belfast. wherever have been described Britsh Soldiers the ak mip on Ireland (available 328 Upper Street, London N1 at 30p), th ex-Royal Marine explained:
*By 1975 a tour of Northern Ireland was the worst thing that could happen. The number of violence was prevalent and the cost to family relationships was *Apart from the very recruits who have never been ordinary soldiers is that we should get out.
TERRIFIED Edward Maggs" father made a similar point on hearing of his son's death. 'He had been there before, he said of his son, 'and was terrified of returning. He was a victim of Northern It is difficult to feel any degree of members of the British Army in Treland, but Maggs' death gives a reminder that the ultimate responsibility for both the carnage mey nave causco ano the problems individual soldiers face lies with those who send them there Socialist Challenge 8 March 1979 page 7
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